The Cubs played the Alemany Warriors in their second game of the Mission League.  The Cubs won 62-55, and now have a ten game winning streak with a 2-0 record in the Mission League and a 15-4 record overall.

Pregame Notes

In the locker room, head coach Jamal Adams said that the team has to be pliable, flexible, and that they have to talk.  They also decided to use man-to-man defense. Adams also emphasized that ball movement would be huge for the Cubs in this game.

CJ Jones was inserted back into the starting lineup. He was coming off the bench in previous games while he recovered from a sprained ankle.

Starting Cubs

PG: Neil Owens (6-1, Sr., #3)

SG: Mason Butler (6-1, Sr., #10)

C: James Keefe (6-9, Sr., #22)

SF: CJ Jones (6-5, Sr., #13)

PF: Anthony Lucenti (6-4, Sr., #30)

1st Quarter

The Cubs won the opening tip and James Keefe got the Cubs on the board first with a layup at the 7:30 mark.  The Warriors got on the board with a two-pointer to tie the game at 2 with 7:07 remaining. The Warriors hit a three-pointer to take a 5-2 lead with 6:40 to go.  CJ Jones stole the ball at the 6-minute mark but no basket was made. Lucenti converted a three-point-play to tie the game at 5 with 5:15 to go. Owens got a steal, but Keefe committed an offensive foul at the 5:01 mark.  Since Keefe picked up two fouls, Colby Brooks subbed in for him at the five-minute mark. The Cubs took the lead off of an Owens two-pointer with 4:23 to go. A two-pointer by Brooks increased the lead to 9 with 3:40 left.  A two-pointer by Lucenti gave the Cubs an 11-5 lead with 2:15 to go. The Warriors converted a three-point-play to cut Loyola’s lead to 3 with 2:11 remaining. Brooks’ layup put the Cubs up 13-8 with 1:45 to go. Alemany cut the lead to one thanks to a 4-0 run to end the quarter.

Score: Loyola 13, Alemany 12.

2nd Quarter

The Warriors got the first possession of the quarter.  They made a two-pointer to gain a 14-13 lead with 7:15 to go.  Shortly after, Owens got a steal, but missed a layup. Alemany’s two-pointer increased the lead to 3 with 6:40 to go.  A three by Jack Kresich tied the game at 16 with six minutes to go. The Warriors hit a two-pointer to beat the shot clock, and they led 18-16 with 5:15 to go.  Brooks tied the game with a two-pointer at the 5:07 mark. The Warriors went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-18 lead with 4:14 left. The Cubs called a timeout at the 4:12 mark.  Jared Cox and James Keefe fueled a 4-0 run to tie the game at 22 with 3:27 to go. Moments later, Owens and Jones subbed in for Cox and Kresich. Keefe’s dunk gave the Cubs a 24-22 lead with 2:39 to go.  Keefe made two free throws at the 1:42 mark to further increase Loyola’s lead to four. Jones got a steal, and Brooks got a highlight poster dunk at the one-minute mark. The Cubs went on a 10-2 run to end the quarter.

Score: Loyola 28, Alemany 22.

Halftime

In the locker room, Adams said the team played great zone defense.  One of their keys was to push the ball down the floor in transition.  The Cubs went into zone defense after going man-to-man in the beginning of the game.

3rd Quarter

The Cubs got the first possession and the starting Cubs came back in.  A three by Owens put the Cubs up 9 with 7:40 to go. The Warriors made a two to cut the lead to 7 with 6:25 to go.  A three-pointer by Butler gave the Cubs a ten-point lead, 34-24, with 5:50 to go. Butler hit another three and the Cubs went up 37-24 with 5:18 to go.  Afterwards, the Warriors called timeout. The Warriors made a brief 4-0 run to cut the lead to 9, 37-28, with 3:28 to go. Keefe made a putback layup and the Cubs led 39-28 with 3:19 to go.  Two made free throws by Alemany brought the game back to a nine-point deficit. Keefe’s layup put the Cubs up 41-30 with 2:41 to go. Cox subbed in for Owens at the 2:28 mark. After Butler’s three, the Cubs gained a 14-point lead over the Warriors, 44-30, with 1:22 to go.  The Warriors went on s 6-0 run to trail by eight with 37 seconds to go. Owens made a three-pointer with two seconds left, and the Cubs led by 11.

Score: Loyola 47, Alemany 36.

4th Quarter

The Cubs got the first possession of the fourth quarter, but Lucenti turned the ball over.  Alemany scored a two-pointer with 7:30 to play. After another two-pointer by the Warriors, the Cubs led 47-40 with 7:03 to go.  The Cubs went on a 6-0 run to gain a 53-40 advantage over the Warriors with 5:19 to go. The Warriors went on a 7-0 run to bring the game to a six-point margin, 53-47, with 4:20 remaining.  Keefe’s layup ended the Warriors’ scoring streak, and gave the Cubs a 55-47 lead with 4:07 left. The Warriors called timeout with 4:06 to play. The Warriors buried a three-pointer to come within five, 55-50, with 2:41 to go.  Jones subbed in for Brooks at the 1:58 to go. Owens buried a three-pointer to give the Cubs a 58-50 lead with 1:37 left. The Warriors gained possession off of a kicked ball with 43 seconds left. The Cubs were in the bonus with a minute to play.  Owens missed both free throws after a foul was committed. Keefe stole the ball and the Warriors committed another foul with 39 seconds to play. Keefe missed both free throws. The Warriors made a two-pointer to cut the lead to six with 32 seconds to play.  The Warriors called timeout afterwards, and Jones subbed in for Brooks. The Warriors looked to make a comeback, making a three-pointer with 22 seconds left. Mason Butler made two free throws to give the Cubs a 60-55 lead with 20 seconds left. Lucenti got a steal, and Owens made two free throws with 13 seconds left to put the game in the refrigerator.

FINAL: Loyola 62, Alemany 55.

Cub of the Game

The Cub of the Game was Neil Owens.  Adams remarked that Neil made some key plays down the stretch.  He also nailed the two game-sealing free throws.

Postgame

Adams said that this game was a really good win, and every win is very hard.  He also mentioned that the team needs to work on free throws.

The Next Game

The Cubs will face View Park High School on January 5 at 12:30 PM and will look to extend their winning streak to 11.